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’Whatever you do, ensure that you close off any escape route,’ Boreas responded He glanced at the tactical dis­play that was illue soon’
’Very well, Lord Boreas, we shall engage her for as long as possible,’ Stehr said ’We shall target her engines e are able and attempt to board her’
’No!’ Boreas bellowed, causing everyone on the bridge to stop in shock ’My orders are clear, you are not to board the Saint Carthen’
’We risk getting cut to pieces here,’ Stehr protested ’Closing the range and boarding is the only chance we have’
Boreas started to signal back, before realising that the Thor Fifteen had broken contact
’Keep signalling Captain Stehr to stand off the Saint Carthen,’ Boreas ordered the comms officer ’Tell him that if he attempts to do so, we shall be forced to intervene’
Sen Neziel walked from the weapons coave it to Boreas He shared a smile with the old officer as he looked at the tactical infors from the Blade of Caliban’s sensor arrays, combined with a steady stream of technical reports from the Thor Fifteen indi­cated that the Saint Carthen’s weapons syste the engagement It was perfect for Boreas’s purposes - they could attack fro a hail of fire Of course, it was an assu, but Boreas could see no other course of action if he wanted to take the ene the vessel is our prioal,’ Boreas told Neziel ’She must not escape, ram her if you have to’
The weapons officer reported that they were nearly within firing range
’Sound full battle alert!’ shouted Boreas and the klax­ons began to beat the crew to quarters as they prepared to open fire The bridge buzzed into frantic activity as the orders were relayed to the stations across the ship
’Drop to combat speed, divert power to void shields,’ Neziel ordered after a nod fro solution to target’
’Torpedoes targeted’
’Shields at ninety per cent power’
’Engines at fifty per cent thrust, ational to hel’
’Blast doors sealed, fires extinguished’
’Switch display to enhanced visual,’ Neziel concluded and the tactical display blinked out and reappeared on a sub screen, replaced by a view of the Saint Carthen She was an elegant ship, with a raked cross-section and two clusters of plaslinted with hundreds of yellow flashes as pulses of laser fire erupted from the cannons concealed within her belly A flicker of blue and violet shimmered around her aft section as her shields absorbed a blast from the Thor Fifteen
’Lord Boreas, the Thor Fifteen is closing fast with the tar­get, it looks as if she’s going to board,’ one of the surveyor officers reported Boreas strode to the comms console and jabbed at the transmit rune
’Thor Fifteen,’ he demanded ’Abort your attempt to board or I will be forced to fire upon you’
It took a few seconds for the reply to coh
’Emperor’s teeth, man!’ Stehr cursed over the speakers ’We’re on the same side! You can’t be serious’
’Torpedo controls, retarget trajectory on vector one-five-six,’ Boreas called to the weapons officer
’Confirm, new trajectory one-five-six,’ The officer replied after a moment at his panel
’Launch torpedoes,’ Boreas ordered, glancing at Neziel
’Are you sure,his own tactical display ’At that course, ould be firing on the Thor Fifteen’
’Launch torpedoes!’ roared Boreas, causing Neziel and the other officers to flinch ’Question ain and I’ll have the tech-priests render you into servitors!’
’Aye, my lord,’ Neziel said uncertainly ’Launch torpe­does, target vector one-five-six’
’Torpedoes away!’ the weapons officer called out
Boreas activated the comms rune once more
’Thor Fifteen, cut speed by thirty per cent and alter course forty degrees to port,’ he said, darting an angry look at Neziel ’Failure to do so will result in impact with our torpedoes’
’You launched torpedoes at us?’ Stehr’s voice sounded hoarse over the link ’Whose side are you on, Emperor darees to port and reduce speed by thirty per cent,’ Boreas replied ’Break off your closing course and you will be safe’
The Interrogator-Chaplain looked over at the surveyor officer’s station He atching his reticule intently
’Thor Fifteen reducing speed,’ he said, confir on his own tac-panel ’She’s veering to port and rising’
’Good,’ Boreas grunted ’Prepare for assault boat launch, and power up the starboard batteries I want the target’s prow raked as we close’
’Confiret, please,’ Neziel said pointedly
’The Saint Carthen,’ Boreas said with a scowl ’Another remark like that, Neziel, and I will have you executed for insubordination Aivehis head ’I have never fired upon an allied vessel before’
’Neither have I,’ Boreas replied heavily ’Signal the docking bay to prepare for my arrival Neziel, I trust you will follow any subsequent orders to keep the Thor Fifteen fro If she puts troops onto that vessel, they will be killed along with the enemy crew’
’I a the sweat from his eyes ’I understand now The Thor Fifteen will be prevented fro towards the doorway He lifted his helmet from a stand next to the door and hooked it onto his belt
’One other thing, my lord,’ Neziel called after hi look on his face ’May the Euide your hand’
’Thank you, Neziel,’ Boreas said after aon you and our other subjects while we are gone Keep the ship safe for me, Neziel’
’I will, Lord Boreas, I will,’ Neziel said with a smile and a nod
With a roar and a judder, the assault boat launched explosively from the Blade of Caliban’s hull A modified drop pod, the assault boat wasda of h even the thickest ar thrusters burned sporadically along its length as Hephaestus steered the craft on an intercept course with the Saint Carthen Satisfied that their trajec­tory was correct, he unlatched his harness and stood, his ravity As he thudded down the hull towards Boreas, the Chaplain signalled for the others to rise
’Ti the chronometer display in his auto-senses
’Approximately twenty-seven Terran minutes, Brother Boreas,’ Hephaestus told him
’Display chronometer countdoenty-seven minutes,’ Boreas told his suit, and a readout flickered into life in the lower left of his field of vision, reeling down through the h much could happen in half an hour in a space battle, Boreas trusted to the speed and sh to their objective The augurs and scanners of a large vessel were immensely powerful, built to peer into the vast depths of space However, an object as s­ister at all until within close range of the enemy’s low level scanners, and even if they were picked up, they would most likely appear as an errant asteroid or piece of debris
’Weapons check,’ he ordered, testing the activation stud of his crozius and clicking off the safety of his bolt pistol with his other hand He h they had all done so three ti with the powerfield-enclosed crozius and his bolt pistol, Boreas had five spare renades; two blind grenades; two ered anti-personnel ed combat knife; a spare power cell for his crozius, and another for his rosarius conversion field generator